English → Latin
“wave” in Latin
undawave; a throng, multitude; water(s)flūctusa wave, billowundōsusabounding in waves, full of waves, flowing water, etc., wavy, stormy, surging, billowyflūctuōsusfull of waves, billowyundōto rise in waves; to overflow with, abound in; to wave, undulateflūctuōto surge, swell, undulate; to fluctuate, vacillate; to be restless, figuratively tossed by emotional distressmoveōto move, stir, set in motion; to disturb, shake, remove; to arouse, excite, promote, produceagitōto act, behave, do, or make persistently or unremittingly; to put something in motion, drive, impel; drive by rowing, roaestuōto be in agitation or violent commotion, move to and fro, writhe, rage, toss, boil up, heave; to burn, blaze, rage; to b
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
wave s.
unda (the proper word; produced by the regular motion of the sea, or gentle action of the air): fluctus, -us (billow, raised by storms). Full of waves, undosus: fluctuosus: to move in waves, undare: fluctuare: to make waves, fluctus ciere, movere: to be tossed in the waves, fluctuare: fluctibus jactari (Cic.): the wind rolls the waves upon the shore, ventus crebros ex alto fluctus in litus evolvit (Curt.): the waves break upon the rocks, fluctus franguntur a saxo (Cic.): to be washed by the waves, fluctibus allui: in waves, undatim.
wave v.
Intransitively. To move as a wave, play loosely, float, undare (as a gentle wave): fluctuare (as a billow); also, aestuare (of very violent motion). Corn waves, segetes undant: hair waves, coma fluitat, defluit de humeris alicujus: a garment waves, vestis sinuatur, undat.
Transitively. To move to and fro, agitare: movere: to wave a sword, ensem rotare: to wave the hand, manum jactare.
To omit, pass over, Vid.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for wave?
- The usual Latin words for “wave” are unda, flūctus, undōsus; also flūctuōsus, undō, flūctuō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.